Thermal Rejuvenation of an Mg-Based Metallic Glass

Recovery annealing and deep cryogenic cycling (DCT) treatment have been applied to rejuvenate an Mg-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) from its relaxed state and as-cast state, respectively. The mechanisms are considered to be the resetting of amorphous structure during recovery annealing and the generation of internal stress during cryogenic cycling. The thermally treated samples showed rejuvenation behavior with increased enthalpy of relaxation and decreased density. This work expands the application of both methods as nondestructive ways to rejuvenate BMGs.